It can never be emphasized fully enough the dangers of allowing stress to get the best of you. Yes, we deal with different sources of stress from our home, to traveling, to school, and at work as well but are we doing anything about it? Most of us don’t. Unfortunately, having to deal with stress all the time can have a negative effect to our health and can cause symptoms to appear. Don’t know whether you are already stressed out? Here are a few symptoms to watch out for.

It causes hives to appear

Those itchy red bumps that appear on your skin? Well, they may not be due to allergies as you would like to think. Stress can actually make you break out in hives because your immune system becomes compromised which triggers your body to release histamines. If you are still stressed, your body develops an allergic reaction in the form of red bumps on your body.

It ages kids fast

You may not notice this yet but when your child is suffering from constant stress, it can actually make them age faster. A study that was conducted on kids aged 5 to 10 showed that those who were constantly bullied showed earlier signs of aging compared to those who weren’t.

Fluctuating weight

Ever wondered why your weight is going up and down all the time? Blame it on stress. When you are stressed, your body produces cortisol which can actually hinder your body’s ability to keep your blood sugar level steady. This affects the way your body metabolizes protein, fats, and carbs hence the unsteady weight. Also, when you are stressed, your eating habit changes because you are looking for ways to stem the stressed feelings that you are having by opting to eat sweets or salty treats.

It triggers depression

What other symptoms can be linked to stress? Well, depression is one of these symptoms that affect millions of people. It appears that when a person is constantly stressed, it is highly likely that they succumb to depression. When you find yourself harboring thoughts of self-pity or the desire to do something bad to yourself, you might be suffering from depression and must get help as soon as possible.

It worsens your cold

If you find yourself getting sick all the time, and you think that stress is causing it, then you are definitely on to something. Stress can actually impair our immune system to the point that it is easy for viruses or bacteria to cling to our bodies and make us feel under the weather. There are some people whose immune system doesn’t work on cortisol which leaves you exposed to various illnesses.

Constant headache

For those who suddenly become bombarded with headaches, it is a good sign that you are too stressed already. When there is plenty of stress in your body, it causes chemicals to be released in your body that alters the blood vessels as well as nerves in your brain thus you have headaches. If you have migraine, stress can make it worse.

Digestive issues

Another sign that you are stressed out is that your digestive system isn’t working very well. Have you ever felt that your stomach is rumbling and tumbling every time you eat when you are thinking of all the problems that you have? Well, this is stress at work.

Increases your chance of stroke

If you don’t take control of your stress levels then you are putting yourself at risk for heart problems such as stroke. When you are stressed, your heart rate goes fast and your blood pressure increases too.